The British Museum and British Museum Shop use cookies to ensure you have the best browsing experience, to improve functionality and to make advertising relevant to you and your interests. By clicking on any link on this page, you are consenting to our use of cookies. (Last updated: 6 December 2018)
Find out more

British Museum launches app for Life and death in Pompeii
and Herculaneum

Available from 18 April at the Apple Store and 2 May at Android
app stores

The British Museum has developed an app for tablets and
smartphones to support the critically acclaimed exhibition
Life and death in
Pompeii and Herculaneum sponsored by Goldman Sachs –
equally designed for those who experience the exhibition, or for
people around the world who are not able to visit London. Using
interactive maps of the region and a timeline of the eruption,
users will be able to explore the objects and themes of the
exhibition, and immerse themselves in the life and death of the two
cities on their tablet or smartphone. The app will feature
exclusive video footage including interviews with the curator and
contributions from special guests. The app will be available on the
Apple and Android app stores.

After a short introductory video, the app offers the user a map
of the Bay of Naples, with three main areas to explore – the two
cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the volcano, Vesuvius.

Immerse yourself in the life of the two Roman
cities
Touching on Pompeii or Herculaneum on the map takes the user
through to the street plans, on which are plotted over 250 of the
key objects featured in the exhibition. Users will be able to
filter objects and their background information by theme; urban
context, commerce, religion and beliefs, wealth and status,
grooming and adornment, relaxing in luxury, entertaining, food and
drink. Touching an object marker leads through to more information
about the object and fully-zoomable high resolution images.

Each of the eight themes has an exclusive video introduction by
the exhibition curator, Paul Roberts. A selection of star objects
is accompanied by audio commentary from experts in Roman history:
Mary Beard, Professor of Classics, Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Director
of Research, both at the University of Cambridge, and Amanda
Claridge, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Royal Holloway.

Browse an interactive timeline of the eruption
story
Users can touch on the marker for Vesuvius to activate the
interactive timeline that plots the devastating progress of the
volcano in the 24 hours of the eruption. Based on an artist’s
impression of a typical street in both Pompeii and Herculaneum, the
viewpoint shifts between the two cities as time progresses. An
immersive soundscape brings the animation to life and illustrates
how the two cities and their inhabitants met their end. Specially
recorded excerpts from the first-hand account of Pliny the Younger,
who witnessed the eruption, provide the narrative.

At each key point in the timeline users can access additional
information about the volcano and the eruption, the people who
died, and the objects recovered from the sites 1,700 years
later.

Aftermath
Users can follow the story after the eruption, exploring the
re-discovery and excavation of the two cities, recent archaeology
and the development of the British Museum exhibition itself.

Curator of the exhibition Paul Roberts

‘We are delighted to invite tablet and smartphone users all over
the world to explore the content of our Life and Death in Pompeii
and Herculaneum exhibition. Good clear explanations and beautiful,
detailed images of the remarkable objects offer an exciting
opportunity to investigate the stories of these cities in the palm
of your hand.’

Garry Partington, CEO of Apadmi, developers of
the app

‘We have been developing award winning apps for a number of
years for major brands such as BT, Aviva, Visit Britain and the
incredibly popular BBC iPlayer Radio app. Press Release British
Museum launches app for Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum
Available from 18 April at the Apple Store and 2 May at Android app
stores However, to have been commissioned by one of the world’s
great cultural institutions, The British Museum, to develop such an
innovative, content-rich and interactive app, is a genuine
honour.

With zoomable high resolution images of over 250 artefacts,
detailed maps, video clips, audio tracks and an animated timeline
of the eruption, the app transports the user to the heart of the
life and times of the people of the Roman cities and gives a unique
insight into the destruction caused by the eruption of
Vesuvius.’

Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum
app

Notes to Editors:

The Pompeii app is available in the Apple store for
iPad (£3.99) and
iPhone (£1.99) and on Google Play for selected Android phones
(£1.99).

The app was developed for the British Museum by Apadmi Ltd
www.apadmi.com, who have been
designing, and developing innovative apps for 14 years. Recent apps
include the BBC Radio iPlayer iPhone app.

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service
mark of Apple Inc. Android and Google Play are trademarks of Google
Inc.

Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Reading Room 28 March – 29 September 2013
#PompeiiExhibition

This exhibition will be the first ever held on the subject in
the British Museum, and the first major exhibition in London for
almost 40 years. The exhibition will bring together many
fascinating objects, both recent discoveries and celebrated finds
from earlier excavations. Unlike previous exhibitions, its focus
will not be on the sites as a whole, but on the archaeology of the
home and the lives of the people who lived there.

The exhibition will transport visitors to the heart of the life
and times of the people of the Roman cities Pompeii and
Herculaneum. From the bustling street through to the intimate
spaces of a Roman home, looking at daily Roman life prior to the
devastating volcanic eruption of nearly 2000 years ago, and give
some perspective on the domestic context for the objects. No other
exhibition on Pompeii has been attempted this on a similar scale;
the focus will be on the ordinary Roman and the realities of
home-life and, uniquely, will include material from both Pompeii
and Herculaneum.

Special ticket offers:

£1 Jobseeker tickets – For the first time the
British Museum is able to offer a jobseekers ticket for £1 thanks
to the generosity of Goldman Sachs. Jobseeker tickets are available
at £1 on Mondays 12.00 – 16.30, the same time slot as Senior
tickets are available half price at £7.50.

Mumsnet event (21 May) – In partnership with
Mumsnet the British Museum is running its first dedicated morning
especially for parents, babies and young children to enjoy the
exhibition . Family groups are welcome at any time but this will be
the first time slot allocated to this audience to enjoy the
exhibition alongside other young families.

Public programme special guest curators:

Curatored and chaired by either Mary Beard or Andrew
Wallace-Hadrill, both of Cambridge University, the evening lecture
programme will explore the history of these Ancient Roman cities
and what they mean to us today. Lectures will include guest
speakers such as author Robert Harris, journalist David Aaronovitch
and comedian Natalie Haynes. The public programme will also include
free lunchtime lectures and gallery talks, performance and
workshops, film screenings, an extensive school and community
programmes and a special Late event:

Up late in Pompeii: a night out in the Bay of
Naples, 10 May, 18.00–21.00, free, just drop in. Visitors
can try food from the Bay of Naples, drop in on the latest debates
raging in the forum and browse through the shops in a Roman street
scene. You can also hear readings of Roman love poetry and discover
Roman attitudes towards sex.

A full public programme accompanies the exhibition. More
information is available from the press office.

Pompeii Live from the British Museum

Cinemas nationwide
18 and 19 June
#PompeiiLive

A unique live broadcast event that will take cinema audiences
round the major exhibition Life and death in Pompeii and
Herculaneum 28 March – 29 September 2013 in the company of
renowned experts and practitioners who, alongside live performance
– music, poetry and eye-witness accounts will bring to life
extraordinary objects, some never seen outside Italy before. The
event will be shown in over 250 cinemas through all the major UK
cinema groups including Vue, Cineworld, Picturehouse, Empire,
Curzon and Odeon as well as independent venues across the UK.
Tickets go on sale in cinemas on 28 March.

For schools:

The British Museum also plans to follow the adult premiere on 18
June with another first: Life and death in Pompeii and
Herculaneum, a live transmission for school children
across on 19 June also from the British Museum and aimed at Key
Stage 2 and 3. Schools all over the UK will have the opportunity to
visit their local cinema for a fun, interactive show which will
enhance cross curriculum learning.

An accompanying publication is available from March 2013 by
British Museum Press: Life and death in Pompeii and
Herculaneum, by Paul Roberts. A magnificent illustrated book
offering a unique perspective on the everyday lives of the citizens
of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Hardback, £45, paperback £25.

A smaller gift book will also be available from March 2013 by
British Museum Press: Art in Pompeii and Herculaneum, by
Paul Roberts with Vanessa Baldwin. With stunning details of
frescoes, mosaics, sculpture, jewellery, glass and silverware, this
little book provides an enchanting taste of a variety of art from
these two cities. Paperback, £6.99.